


Ready to Comply

by LouLogic



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action & Romance, Background Relationships, F/M, Hydra Bucky Barnes, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Slow Burn, Slow To Update, Tony Stark's Daughter Reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:54:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29664831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LouLogic/pseuds/LouLogic
Summary: Mission Status: Highly ClassifiedSubjects Code Name: Hell's Healer or Death AngelOccupation: Hydra ExperimentInformation attached in file: Crimes, brief history, and a cctv camera shot of the subject from behindLittle to no information is known about the subjects powers, history, current whereabouts, or overall state.This story is about Tony Stark's daughter Harlow Maria Stark. Roughly named after his parents Howard and Maria. At age 14 Harlow was kidnapped by Hydra and experimented on. This story talks about her past, her lost memories, and her powers. This is a Bucky romance story so stick around for their intertwined love story.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Wanda Maximoff/Vision
Kudos: 4





	1. Missions

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Ready to Comply](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/765648) by NightLogic. 



> For starters I would like to say that Marvel reserves all rights to the characters inside this story that are not Harlow. Secondly, I do not speak Russian so if something is off with that section blame google translate.

"You don't know who you're messing with!" I scream at my abusers, finding joy in the strength of my words. The sound echoes back into my ears making me smirk until a hard force slams into my ribs. I refrain from screaming; not wanting to give them the satisfaction. I laugh instead. The man in a black Hydra uniform looks at me in shock at my reaction before his features melt into a look of rage. He steps closer and wraps his fist around my neck squeezing so hard I start loosing air. Regardless, I spit blood into his face making him release me to wipe the liquid off with a scowl.

"You really are a psychotic bitch aren't you?" He ask with an amused rough voice. I can feel my eyes go cold and despite the pain in my body I lift my head up to glare at him. "I'm a Stark you walking sack of human garbage! And when they find me, I can promise you you're dying first!" I growl at him with the little breath I can muster out. In response to my outburst an electrical shock is sent through my neck.

"You know, you keep saying that but-" The man tightens a leather strap around my forehead slamming me into the metal headrest. "They still aren't here are they Death Angel? It's been six years, they aren't coming!" Every fiber of my being wanted to argue with the man in front of me. In the end, I couldn't bring myself to fight back. I'm not giving up, I never will, but a part of me knows that they can't find me. Maybe they never will.

"I have a name." I say weakly and out of breath. "Is that so? Tell me Hellion, what name would that be?" I open my mouth to reply but all that escapes is a whimper. My head burns at even trying to think of a reply. I know I'm a Stark. I know that's important, but in honesty....I have no clue who I am. The guard knows it too.

"Sweet Dream's Death Angel. Boss has a mission for you." With that said a blinding pain fills my body as the metal pads press against my temples. I can't help but be grateful when everything finally goes black.

Bucky POV

Wakanda always takes on this warmness in the early mornings. The sunlight sends a hue of orange and yellow across the sky that makes the world seem peaceful. It's one of the many things I treasure about the life I live here. I can't imagine something more soothing then the sunrise displayed before me each morning.

I'm grateful for everything the king has done for me. I owe him and many people of the world a lot. That being said no ones ever called in one of those favors, not until now.

"Good morning Sargent Barnes. You are looking well." I smile gently in response to the princess. "Hey Shuri, what can I do for you?" I question thoughtfully while turning to look at the brilliant young girl. My face immediately falls upon the sight in front of me.

"Where's the fight?" I ask gesturing to the vibranium prosthetic in the girls arms. I don't wait for a response as I approach the new piece and inspect it.

"Stark called a little while ago requesting your assistance." The girl answers apologetically with a frown.

"How did he know?" No one other than Steve, Sam, and the Wakanda royalty are suppose to know where I am.

"Steve I assume. They have promised us your safety, you have become family to us. We would not let you leave if we did not think it was important" Shuri explains simply. This leads me to believe not much information was given.

"Then what are we waiting for?" I ask dryly although the light hearted smirk let's her know I'm teasing.

~Time skip to the Avengers Tower~

I find myself on edge as my transportation settles on the landing pad of the tower. For starters, I have no clue what I'm about to walk into. Secondly, I have a new arm now that I haven't gotten used to. And to end us off, last time I checked Tony hated me.

With all these worries circling through my head I sigh and step out of the plane. To my relief Steve walks outside only moments later.

"Hey jerk." At his words my smile relaxes and rush towards him. He grabs my metal hand and pulls me into a short hug. "Punk." I respond instinctually before patting his shoulder and pulling away.

"It's good to see you Bucky. Never thought I'd miss that hobo hair." Steve jokes which I can tell is clearly for my benefit. In a true best friend manner he's trying his best to ease my anxiety and worries. Unfortunately it's not working.

"You too, now what's going on?" I hear the Captain sigh before walking towards the inside, I follow his lead. "Listen Buck I'm sorry for dragging you into this. You know I wouldn't have let you come if it wasn't important."

"I know." I answer wearily. His lack of response was making me more tense by the second, but I don't bother pushing for information. I figure someone will tell me something eventually.

After a moment of walking in silence Steve approaches a door. I tense up and reach for a knife upon hearing murmurs from beyond the entryway. Steve pats my shoulder in reassurance before opening into a conference room. I feel myself relax slightly at the sight in front of me.

Surrounding a large meeting table is well...everyone. Natasha, Bruce, Clint, and Sam are sitting next to each other joking and teasing. Wanda, and Vision, sit on another end talking in quiet whispers. Thor, Loki, and Peter Parker are standing near each other as Spider-Man ask a million different questions. However, it's Tony, and Pepper that catch my attention. Pepper is running a hand up and down Tony's arm clearly trying to comfort the stressed out man. Although admittedly she looks equally as distraught as he does.

The room goes from talkative and light to silent within seconds. You could hear a pin drop in that room as all eyes turn to look between me and Stark. Everyone seemed to be trying to read the tension in the room.

"Tony." I hear Steve call rather softly. The billionaire turns his head and locks eyes with me. I can see the anger built up behind his eyes, but it seems as though his resolve shatters rather quickly.

"I called all of you here because it's time we set the past aside. We've all done some pretty messed up shit and honestly I'm over it. I need your help, so if everyone agrees to assist than you have a home in this tower. And you better agree because I kind of already built rooms and floors for everyone so there's that." Tony says in a bit of a rush. To be fair half of the team had already been living in the tower for half the time. The rest had been on the run but that seemed irrelevant now. No one says anything for a long moment. That's when I realize they're waiting for me to make the first move. Everyone else had already made up their minds.

"Which floor?" I ask simply, but it's enough. Everyone knows the acceptance and forgiveness behind my words. Tony sighs in relief as the room breaks out into smiles.

"Pepper will um tell you about your rooms and such in a minute. Cap?" Tony says gesturing that it was Steve's turn to speak.

"As exciting as a reunion is you're probably wondering exactly what sparked all of this. Well, the answer is Hydra. We got some information from Fury a few days ago. It's a file case for another super soldier. A human similar to Bucky and me. Our job is to tract this person down, capture them, and if everything goes well, we rehabilitate them." Steve says catching all of us up to speed.

I take a moment to process the information given before nodding. "Well, I guess I understand why you dragged in the unstable 100 year old man." This earns me a few chuckles throughout the room.

After that we all spend a few hours catching up and gathering more information. When the sun started setting Pepper told us what floor each of us were on and set us off to get some rest. On the first residential floor is Natasha, Bruce and Clint. The three of them sharing a floor because Clint would be staying with his family as much as possible. The second floor serves as housing for Wanda and Vision. The third floor has Peter, and Sam who quickly took a liking to each other's sense of humor. The floor above them is where me and Captain have been located. Above us is our lovely host Tony and Pepper. Finally, the top floor has our Asgardians who can come and go from the roof as they please.

It takes a little bit, but eventually we all get settle in to our respective living areas. Steve and I enjoy a quiet meal before I finally break the silence. "We live in a strange world now. You ever think about how we don't belong here?"

"Constantly." Steve says with a familiar chuckle. "But you know what, this is our world now. It's different but just as beautiful and dangerous as the one we left. If anything we're needed more now than we ever were."

"You make a decent point." I say while reaching out to sip on my beverage.

"What are you thinking about Buck?"

"What do you mean?" I answer, playing naive to the question. I just want to hear him say it out loud, so I'm not the first to address the elephant in the room.

"I mean, this isn't your average villain. This is a battle we've been fighting since 1942." Steve says with an intense but light hearted tone only captain America could pull off.

"Hydra is full of the most ruthless philosophies I've ever encountered. Every last one of them work to get results. So what do I think? I think the pour human we're after is going to put up one hell of a fight unless we can find an anchor. I never would have gotten out of there without you. We don't know if this person has a you."

"You could have pulled through without me. No matter what though, we're going to save this person. What they're doing...it's not their fault. It's Hydra's." I nod my head in acknowledgment to Steve's words. "I can't wait for the day we burn a fire under their ass." I smirk as Steve let's out a knowing laugh. We sit and talk for a little while longer before settling in for the night.

Death Angel POV

The dull drowsy sensation and pain of a hangover is what greets me in my conscious state. My thoughts start out in a blurry haze with my ears ringing. However, that does nothing against drowning out the piercing noise of a speaker in my cell.

"вундеркинд" A thick Russian accent speaks through the system. My eyes shoot open in fear and dart around before settling on the nearest camera.  
(Prodigy)

"четырнадцать" I pull against my restraints with a newfound desperation.  
(14)

"парить" A scream of frustration leaves my mouth. "Stop please. Please. Don't do this!" I cry towards the people I know must be watching using a weak voice. The consequence of speaking out comes in the form of another familiar shock to my vocal cords.  
(Soar)

"страсть" My face falls downwards before I struggle violently against the restraints on my wrist, waist, and neck. All in vain as it only adds to the growing pain.  
(Passion)

"обычный" The pain in my head overwhelms me. I shake my head from side to side trying to alleviate as much pressure as possible.  
(Ordinary)

"Феникс" My mind starts to blank on why I'm even fighting. Why am I struggling the sweet release of handing over control?  
(Phoenix)

"вечный", "my name is...is...H..ha...Stark. I'm 20...I" I begin mumbling helplessly to myself.  
(Eternal)

"подавленный" My mumbles have turned into barely audible incoherent whispers as my mind falls further into the cold yet inviting darkness.  
(Despondent)

"мужество" I feel my body tense and twitch against my will. Every muscle prepares itself for pain and battle. Every instinct I have readies for a mission.  
(Audacity)

"послушный" Everything goes numb. My mind slips into a familiar place and my body surrenders.  
(Dutiful)

"Я готов отвечить" My response is instinctual, programmed into me. I look up to see a man in front of me, the "mission man" as I know him. He will give me my orders.  
(Ready to comply)

"У нас для вас новая миссия. Выследите и убейте бывшего агента Гидры Джеймса Бьюкенена Барнса, известного как Зимний Солдат." The man states in a disturbingly desperate tone.  
(We have a new mission for you. Hunt down and kill former Hydra agent James Buchanan Barnes, known as The Winter Soldier.)

I nod in understanding, and the moment they unstrap me my mission begins.


	2. Breaking Point

Bucky's POV

It's been a few months since all of us moved into the tower. It was an admittedly rocky transition for all of us. Several of the Avengers still had some understandable grudges against me. That paired with some other unspoken tension lead to a lot of in house animosity for the first month or two. Eventually, we all warmed up to each other though. We train with one another daily and have even gone on several missions side by side. It's hard not to bond with people who help save your life in battle.

The Hydra case, however, is a different story. Despite all the personal relationship progress that's been made, zero has been made for the mission. The only information we have is still limited to a small vague profile given to us by Fury. The details inside have proven to be less than helpful. I must have looked over the damn thing fifty times in the past week in trying to come up with anything useful to share, but I draw a blank every time.

I wake up to a knock at my door and immediately reach for the knife under my pillow. "Who is is?" I question in a stern almost rigid voice.

"It's me jerk, Wanda got a lead on the super soldier suspect." I jump up at Steve's words and rush over to the door swinging it wide open.

"lead with that next time Punk." I grumble before pushing past him to reach the elevator.

"I thought I did." I hear him answer in amusement before following me into the metal elevation box. "Jarvis, take us to the main council floor."

"Of course Captain Rogers." The AI system replies instantly before closing the door and dropping down to the main Avengers level.

The floor was usually used for weekly get togethers, but occasionally it was used for its intended purpose of group meetings and strategy briefings. As soon as the door slides open again I hop out and walk briskly down the hall to the big open room with a table in the middle. Upon entering the area I am subjected to the beginning sounds of a growing argument.

"Wanda, it's not safe or wise to rush into an unknown base blindly. We do not know what these people are capable of doing." Vision states clearly from his position at the table.

"I do not care. Their is a suffering girl in there who needs our help. It is our duty to save her." Wanda counters, her voice rising in anger as she pushes her side.

"Vision is right Wanda. Despite everything else, we need to worry about our own safety first. If we barge in there we could all get killed." I don't even have to look at the person to recognize Sam's voice.

"I don't think she's suggesting that we just waltzed into enemy territory unprepared. All she's saying is that we need to work harder on trying to get to the kid instead of focusing on the smaller bases first." Clint interjects, clearly trying to come to the poor red heads defense. At this point though I've heard enough of the conversation and walk further into the room with Steve.

"Someone wanna tell us what's going on here?" He ask as we both approach the table. He goes to stand next to an exasperated Natasha as I move near a tired Loki who clearly thought it was too early to be dealing with this bullshit.

"Tony was finally able to get a cctv picture of our target. Telekinesis lady managed to remember where the girl was kept. Apparently she was taken to train with this unknown super soldier once or twice. Now there's a high school debate worthy argument going on about what we should do with this information." Sam says through a yawn while vaguely gesturing to Wanda and the papers spread out in front of her. I walk over to Wanda and gently place my flesh hand onto her shoulder. She looks at me for a moment before giving me a tired sigh and stepping aside so I can look at the papers on the table.

There in front of me lay a picture of a young girl wearing black military style cargo pants, a long sleeved cropped black top, combat boots, fingerless gloves, and black goggles covering her eyes. The most noticeable thing about her though is the metal wings that seem to come out from her back. Upon looking at the image my head begins to burn and I let out a small groan of pain in complaint. The world around me becomes more and more blurry as memories of training, talking, and fighting flood my head. I almost black out before the muffled voices of my teammates start to pull me back towards reality.

"Bucky? Bucky! Talk to me, what's going on?" It takes me a moment to fully register Steve and Natasha's overlapping voices, but eventually I do. I grip onto the arm closest to my right; which I find out happens to belong to Sam, and use it to stabilize myself. "Wow, that was unpleasant."

"What happened? One minute your were looking at paper then the next you were down for the count." Steve states in a concerned questioning voice.

"I uh, I think I knew that girl. I saw her in the picture and all the sudden a bunch of random memories hit me like a freight train." I answer unsteadily while still trying to ground myself back into reality.

"Maybe you should sit for a moment Sargent Barnes. You are looking unwell." I hear Vision suggest to me which just earn him a chuckle in response. "Am I ever well?" I question before talking the advise anyway and sitting down in the nearest chair.

"If you don't mind me asking, Terminator, did you learn anything useful?" Tony ask me from his place against the wall near a half awake Peter Parker.

"She's strong, stronger than Steve and me that's for sure. They used something different on her, but honestly I don't remember much about her powers. Most of what I remember came from bits and pieces of conversations, I guess we talked. She got taken from Hydra when she was 14, always told me about how her family was going to rescue her eventually and-"

"Show me that picture again." Tony blurts out cutting me off from my train of thought. I don't question it though and simply slide the image to the other end of the table.

"Jarvis cross reference all kidnappings from the year 2009 and 2010 using only results for 14 year old girls with matching physical details of the suspect in the picture." Tony says out loud although he looked more anxious then before.

"one hundred and three results match basic descriptions of the girl shown, how would you like me to narrow down the options?" The AI responds after almost zero time.

"Narrow down the search for only girls born in February of 1996." I interject quickly before Tony can even answer the robot. I don't bother explaining myself because for starter, no one seemed to be in the mood for detail interrogation. Secondly, I wasn't sure I had a decent answer even if someone asked.

"Fifteen girls match the description sir, how should we proceed?"

"Take out any girls who have been found as well as any girls with prior fatal medical conditions." Wanda adds in next, knowing exactly what type of girl Hydra would have been searching for.

"Five matching results, should we continue narrowing down?"

"Yes, keep only girls with something notable about them, higher IQ, enhanced abilities, excreta." Tony finally ask while getting a nod of conformation from the rest of us. We all seemed to silently agree that this would lead us to the type of person Hydra looks for.

"One result found."

"Show us everything you have on her Jarvis." Tony instructs and soon a display of news reports and medical files are put out in front of the billionaire. "She appears to have been taken at age 14 on August 9, 2010. The girl was born February 12, 1996 making her 20 years of age. She has not been seen for six years and had a record breaking IQ for her age..." Tony seemed frozen in place as the AI system continued to give a rundown on the girl matching our description, he clearly saw something the rest of us hadn't yet. "What is her name Jarvis?" The man finally ask in a dark tense voice.

"Harlow Maria Stark, sir."

Death Angel POV

My mission is to kill ex assassins Sargent James Buchanan Barnes. That task was assigned to me 6 months and 16 failed plans ago. Every time I've tried getting close I had to backdown in order to protect my cover or avoid getting caught. This was fine for awhile until an assassin attempt I made six hours ago. Not only did I fail, but I was seen. I made direct eye contact with that cctv camera and I knew it was too late to correct my mistake.

Hyrda decided it was time to give me a more severe punishment for all my recent errors. Instead of the electroshocks they have been giving me; the leaders determined that my failure was too major to let off the hook with a simple "slap on the wrist". I can't disagree with their conclusion, I made a stupid mistake and deserve to suffer the consequences.

A large, strong built man covered head to toe in armor steps into my room with a team of Hydra's specialized disciplinarians. From my position I could only estimate on how many had entered the room. I counted four pairs of feet and added another because of the sound of a cart being rolled in. It was hard to decipher what their plan was exactly since my stance didn't give me much room to observe.

My arms hang above my head being held there by tight bindings on my wrist. I stay dangled a few inches from the floor with a metal structure pressed against my spine keeping my neck and waist strapped tightly to it's frame. I had an educated guess that it could probably deal out shocks if necessary, but that's only suspicion at this point.

"Hello again Hell's little healer. You have been consistently...disappointing to say the least. We think some incentive will do you good, no?" A voice I recognize as the head scientist of my case study says aloud. I nod obediently in response to him. "Good, then you will take your punishment without opposition." Following his words is the piercing sound of a whip hitting flesh.

It only took two hours for my walls to start breaking. I stayed silent, but the second a sliver of a memory returned I began struggling against my torturers. I was no use though. At this point I'd already become too weak to actually fight. The shocks that followed also made it impossible to argue verbally; not that I planned on doing so in the first place. The small ordeal ended up giving me a one way ticket to the brain mushing machine.

An hour of physical and mental hell later lead me to where I am now. I stay curled up around myself, confused, hurt, broken and afraid. My instincts keep telling me to run, or hide or escape but my body has other plans as I gradually slip in and out of consciousness.

~Time skip a few hours~

I wake up to the sound of a panicked muffled voice as my ears try to tune in to reality. My brain burns like it'd been set on fire and every inch of my body was screaming at me to slip back into the darkness. My instincts to stay alive win out though so I force me eyes open to take in the world around me.

I'm still in my Hydra room which I honestly can't decide how I feel about. However, I'm clearly not alone. My eyes although fuzzy slide over to the doorway where I take note of a man rushing towards me. I take that as a sign of danger and immediately begin backing away only to find that I'm already as close to the wall as I can get.

"Hey woah, it's okay. Everything's fine I'm not a threat. I just want to help you." The voice doesn't sound too terribly familiar, but it does sound friendly both facts in which I consider to be positive. I open my mouth to respond and cringe backwards as a broken scratchy croak floods my hearing. I look around for the source before realizing the sound came from me.

"Shhhh, don't try to talk. I'm going to pick you up now, alright?" I'm shocked the man bothered to ask my consent. It's not as though my response matters, it never has before. Despite that thought though; and my fear, I nod my head in acceptance.

A moments later I feel pain flood through my body and let out a pitifully weak cry as I'm lifted from the ground. This is when I realized I'd long since closed my eyes and had no clue who was trying to take me. At the same time though I concluded that I didn't care who was taking me nor did I care what they planned on doing. Nothing could be worse then the life I've been living thus far.

"I'm sorry. I know it hurts but just hang on we're going to fix that." I don't bother trying to understand the words spoken by the man. I simply accept my fate and let my body slip back into the inviting darkness.

Bucky's POV

The Avengers tower was sent into a frenzy after everyone soaked in the new information. Of course the first response was questions. The meeting room broke out into a roar of different shouts of confusion. However, once we got past that part we started planning. The importance of the mission had just gone from basic status to code red life or death. Tony was running around making phone calls while the rest of us rushed to get suited up and ready for a battle.

Less than four hours later we were all running head first into a Hydra base. Getting the coordinates had actually taken the least amount of time. What took the most was convincing Tony to sit this fight out. We couldn't risk him compromising the mission by getting too emotional over it, the man was already a wreck as is. Plus, we needed him watching over the tech side of things to guarantee none of us walked straight into a death trap. Eventually, Pepper had convinced him that we were right and managed to calm him down.

All that being said Sam and I are the first inside the building. Natasha took to securing the perimeter with Wanda which is how we got in to begin with. After a moment of walking through the halls as silently as possible we reach a crossroads in the hall and I turn to look at Falcon. "The mission is to get this girl and get out. I'll go to the left, you go to the right if you see her just call over the com and leave, got it?" I whisper earning me a nod in response. With that settled I quickly take off down the left hallway.

As I wonder down the hallway I start feeling helpless. I must have check thirty doors at this point and still no sign of the girl. I lift my hand towards my ear to tune into Sam, but the sounds of machinery working catches my attention. Despite how insane it sounds I know exactly whats making that noise. It's the same machine that messed with my head for years.

I rush towards the sound with a newly found desperation and stop in front of a door. Upon trying to open it I'm greeted with the resistance of a locked door. "Yeah, I should have expected that." I grumble before slamming my body into the door, metal arm leading. It only takes one good shove of my body for the hinges to snap under the pressure.

The sight displayed out before me makes me physically nauseous. The girl from the cctv shot lay beaten and bruised on the floor. "You didn't deserve this." I say solemnly through clenched teeth. You seems to hear me though because despite your state you shuffle away from my voice.

"Hey woah, it's okay. Everything fine I'm not a threat. I just want to help you." I say gently before walking closer. You open your mouth to speak but all that escapes in a gut wrenching noise of distress and pain.

"Shhh, don't try to talk. I'm going to pick you up now, alright?" You nod your head so I bend down and pick you up as gently as I can. Despite my careful approach you still cry out in pain. I can't help but feel horrible for causing you more pain, but I know this is for your betterment.

"I'm sorry. I know it hurts but just hang on we're going to fix that." I'm unsure if you actually hear me, but I figure that's not the important part. I hold your broken body securely in my arms and tune into the groups com system. "I got her. I'm heading back to the ship now."

I don't wait for responses I simply focus on getting you back to the carrier. Upon stepping into the plane the team surrounds me and starts trying to help or ask questions. However, I feel your heartbeat pick up and you grip on me tightens.

"Shhh, I know we're all concerned but the noise is making her nervous. We need to get her back to the tower and Bruce." Everyone mumbled agreements and words of understanding. I sit down holding you in my lap and settle in for the ride back.


	3. Safety

Harlow Stark POV

The sound of beeping machinery greets my waking conscious. My mind tells me it's medical hospital related so I don't question it. However, I can't ignore the pain on my body for any longer than I already have.

Upon opening my eyes I'm greeted with dimmed lighting in some sort of lab. That's when it finally hits me. I'm not I'm Hydra anymore! Those people, they saved me! Lord knows if they're any better, but at least I'm not in hell. A joyful laugh escapes my lips although it's barely audible and a pained groan follows it.

"Jarvis, call Tony she's waking up." The sound of another voice sends fear coursing through my body. I shoot up and quickly dart my eyes around the room. "Hey hey hey calm down. It's okay, you're safe." The voice says again before a man steps into my view. He's wearing a white coat and has a pair of glasses pressed up on the bridge of his nose. I scoot as far away as I can until my back hits the wall.

"My name is Bruce Banner. I'm a doctor sweetie, and I'm gonna help you, okay?" His voice sounds friendly but I make no moves yet. Doctors have never been very friendly towards me, so you can't exactly blame me for being weary.

Before Banner can attempt speaking again more people enter the room. A man and a woman in casual pajama like clothing. The mans jet black hair is tugged in all directions like it's been pulled on. The woman is a gorgeous slim redhead wearing a distraught shocked expression as if she's just witnessed a miracle. They both approach me hesitantly making me panic as tears fall from my face.

"Shhh, hey it's okay. It's okay I'm not going to hurt you. No one is going to hurt you ever again as long as you're here. You're safe." The man says in a sad guilt ridden voice. I don't know why but I find myself trusting his words, believing them. I nod my head very subtly in understanding.

"Listen, I know you're scared, but I want you to try and remember for me. What is your name?" The question confuses me but I try to answer nonetheless. My brain starts to hurt as I search it for an answer.

"Bucky told us it might take a little bit." The woman whisper to the man. Her voice however ignites something in me. It's soft warm tone makes me feel safe and fuzzy inside, and suddenly the answer to their question comes to me.

"H...ha...ar...Harlow. M...Maria....st...Stark." I answer quietly in a raspy broken voice. Both of their faces light up in relief as tears slide down their cheeks. I finally lift my head to truly make eye contact with the two humans in front of me.

"Honey, do you remember us? My names-"

"Pepper." I mumble finishing her sentence for her. It's like saying her name opened a floodgate because suddenly several memories started flickering into my mind. I scream at the pain, but once it's over I smile weakly.

"Come on now Madre, don't shed so many tears for me. You even got dad crying." I get out through a fit of coughs. Next thing I know I'm enveloped in a pile of thrown about limbs as both my parents hug me tightly. I flinch at the contact, but I don't make any move to stop them.

"It's good to have you home kiddo." Tony whispers near my right ear as my mother's sobs ring through my other.

"yeah, I missed you too, but you're kind of hurting me." I whisper back making both of them chuckle softly and pull away.

I spend the next hour listening to my parents make phone calls and talk with others while Banner gets me patched up. I quickly learn that he's not like the other doctors I've met, he's kind and as gentle as possible. Some people come in and out of the room, but no one actually comes and talks to me so I do my best to just ignore them.

By the time Bruce finished with me I had bandages wrapped around me from my breast to right above my hips in order to treat injuries sustained to my back and ribs. A few stitches were needed and an IV was put into my arm. We all learned pretty quickly that I burn through normal pain meds so they gave me the same dosage they give someone called Steve Rogers. I don't have time to question it though because I soon find myself drifting off into sleep again.

"This will be a good first mission to test her strength. It is low stake and will give us a chance to test out her abilities." The leader of Hydra says confidently from the other side of my door.

Next thing I know I'm standing in front of a woman crying and gripping tightly to her baby boy. She was an opposing government official in a vote involving a Hydra spy who wanted on the inside of the government. Not that I really cared about the reasoning behind my mission.

Using my powers as instructed I forced the woman to strangle her own son before making her put a bullet through her head. Afterwards, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, but before everything could sink in I was suddenly back in the Hydra base as they strapped into the machine that would erase my mind. I don't even scream, I just sit there and take it.

Unlike in my nightmare/old memory I do wake up screaming. Tears pool silently down my face as I curl around myself and sob into my hands. Am I still in Hydra? Was seeing my family and all of that just a dream? A cruel and horrible moment of happiness? I don't look up again in fear, not wanting to see if I was in Hydra. I don't know how long I sit in place sobbing into my hands, but I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder and let out a fearful scream. Fear for myself or the persons safety, I'm not sure.

"It's okay. You're safe. You're not in Hydra, and I'm not going to hurt you." A soothing deep male voice says near the side of my bed. A sob of relief and terror escapes my mouth. Relief at realizing I'm truly out of Hydra's clutches, and terror at the remembrance of how dangerous I am.

"S...stay away from me." I stutter out while trying to scramble away from the man.

"I won't hurt you I promise." The man tries to reassure me, but he clearly doesn't understand that the issue has nothing to do with him.

"but I might hurt you." I explain through tears. It's silent for a moment before a pair of arms wrap around my body. I completely tense up at first until something catches my attention. I cold metal arm circled around my waist. I recognize it immediately and turn to look at the man who's holding me. When I truly look into his eyes I am met with the most unforgettable blue eyes. They were not as kind the last time I saw them, but they are undoubtedly the same ones. If anything they were more beautiful than before. Last time I gazed into them they were stormy and broken. Now they are like a light pulling me from darkness.

"Let go of me you evil sons of bitches!" I yelled trying to scramble away from my captors. I hadn't been un-blindfolded for long, but even with the little I'd seen I could tell where I was. Hydra. Even at age 14 I enjoyed reading up on history. I would have recognized their symbol likes it's the back of my hand. However, that only made my fear grow at the situation I'm in. Your average kidnapper would have been screwed by taking me. My dad; Tony Stark, would be able to find them in no time. But this is not your friendly neighborhood stalker.

I continue to fight against the men dragging me down the halls while screaming some rather unladylike curses and insults. I become silent, however, after they throw me into an enclosed room. My blood ran cold at the image in front of me. A man chained to a machine. That alone wasn't scary, it was the fact that I was staring at a man I had known to be dead.

Not only did I study history, but the Howling Commandos display at the Smithsonian has always been my favorite. Perhaps that's what was so terrifying about seeing Sargent James Buchanan Barnes strapped to a Hydra torture device, trapped in the very same room as me. You could also blame my fear on instinct. The Sargent's eyes snap open to look at me and he immediately starts struggling against his restraints looking like a dangerous man on a mission.

Instead of screaming I start pulling any useful information to the front of my head. Hydra did experiments on people, Bucky was suppose to be dead and isn't. Logically, that can only mean that Hydra has experimented on him and he has no idea who he is. I find myself agreeing with this logic as I try thinking of ways that actually helps me in this situation. Appeal to the man, my brain shouts at me. Appeal to the humanity.

"Sargent Bucky! Please, you have to help me, sir! My name is Harlow and I think I was taken, please help me!" I call in a tearful voice to the man. It didn't work initially, but after a few tries something seems to flip Bucky's stormy blue eyes. Right on time too because he had just gotten out of his restraints. I trust the look he's giving me and gently move forward to help him.

I let out a groan as I suddenly fade back into the world around me. I never really left it, but that whole memory regaining thing is a bitch of a process.

"Are you okay?" Bucky's voice ask in concern. I look up into his eyes again and smile weakly.

"No worries Sargent, I'm all good." His blue eyes light up and a smile lightly graces his features. "You remember me?" He ask clearly trying not to get his hopes up too high.

"Bits and pieces." I answer simply while trying to sit up. He helps me get into a sitting position on the bed. He tucks a piece of hair gently behind my ear and lets his palms linger against my cheek. "What do you remember?" He ask in a voice just above a whisper.

"Your eyes mostly." I state in a shy attempt to tease before leaning into his hand. It was mostly true anyway. I remember that first day when I saw him. I remember hugging him after he got out of the cryosleep chamber. I had just turned eighteen and he'd been gone for a very long time. Our relationship evolved after that, and we saw each other almost daily. After that I got glimpses of other memories: training together, patching up injuries, and some other mostly insignificant memories. However, it was enough for me to remember trusting him.

"A real answer doll?" He request with an amused smile.

"I remember training, and sneaking around to see you." I say softly with a light chuckle at the sudden memory. He rolls his eyes but nods in understanding.

"The same amount as me then. Stuff is still fuzzy, it's more like a feeling?" He questions asking me to confirm that it was the same for me. I simply nod my head yes in response.

"Did you wake up because of a nightmare?" Again I simply nod my head.

"Don't worry I get them too. I'm sorry for keeping you up, you should get some rest." He mumbles before moving to get off the bed. I don't let him though. Before I can even question my decision my hand is reaching out and wrapping around his wrist. He looks at me questioningly but lets me tug him back onto the bed.

Once he's sitting again I lean against the pillow and pull him so his head is resting against my stomach. I know he's confused, but I'm too exhausted to explain myself and just let my hands set to work on weaving a familiar pattern into Bucky's hair. A look of realization and relaxation washes over his face as his body un-tenses and his eyes close shut.

I only vaguely remember doing this with him, but the urge to do so had been there. Regardless, if I knew why or not I found it therapeutic to twirl his hair between my fingers. It gave me something to do and focus on instead of my thoughts. Plus, it just felt right.

I continue working on the soldiers hair until finally my exhaustion catches up to me and I slip back asleep.


	4. Meet the Team

Harlow POV

I couldn't say my sleep was dreamless, however, it was the best rest I've gotten in a while. Anytime I would start tossing and turning a comforting weight on top of me would ground me back to reality. In my drowsy state I never bothered to question what the source of the weight was, I just allowed myself to slip back into a peaceful sleep.

"What the Hell is going on in here?!" An angry voice flooded into my ears and ran through my body, sending fear and panic through my veins. My state only worsened as the warm weight on top of me disappeared leaving me feeling threatened and cold. Within seconds of the voices appearance I bolted upright with a scream and huddled towards the wall. With my eyes still tightly closed I felt a familiar pressure in my chest followed by a buzzed feeling in my skin.

My magic had activated and wrapped itself around the nearest object of defense which happened to be a medical scalpel. I hear a wince next to me that I register as one of pain, and finally me eyes open wide to take in my surroundings. In my panicked attempt to defend myself I ended up multiplying the scalpel about fifty times and made them surround me to create a sort of threatening shield of small blades facing away from me.

Outside of my poorly made barrier was a man I vaguely recognized. Upon seeing him some of the memories from the day before came back to me breaking my concentration. My connection with the scalpel broke as my head started pounding through my skull. The tool once again became a singular object and came clattering to the ground as I let out a groan and rub on my temples.

Tony stayed shocked in place as I whimper until a hand touches my shoulder. The contact sends me into another state of panic, but before I could actually react I make eye contact with the person that hand is attached to. Bucky. I mix between a sigh of relief and a pained whimper escapes my mouth while looking up at him. He offers a comforting smirk and gently moves his metal hand to rest on my cheek. The cooling material soothes my aching head so I nuzzle further into its comfort and close my eyes.

I hear Bucky speaking to the other man in the room, but I don't pay it much though. My attention stays on Bucky's presence in front of me until my head finally clears. The events from yesterday are still pretty fuzzy in my head, but I remember vague details. I was rescued. I was treated by a kind doctor. I had a nightmare. I braided Bucky's hair. And he stayed? My brain offers to fill in the rest. I smile softly as I agree with that conclusion.

I open my eyes again to see if the braid stayed, and at the same time I remember the wince I'd heard during the panic. My eyes widen as I scan Bucky over quickly. My heart stops as I notice the nicks and cuts on his good arm and right cheek.

"I hurt you." I say out loud in a guilt filled voice while scooting away. I spoke out in the middle of the conversation that was already happen, but both men immediately turn their attention to me. Bucky looks at me with a strange expression. It was soft, sad and...understanding?

"No no, doll I'm fine. Everything's okay, you didn't do it on purpose." His voice is soothing which just makes me feel worse.

"No, it's not okay. I hurt you because I'm a freak who can't even have normal reactions!" I growl in aggravation towards myself. I was trying not to breakdown in front of the two.

"Harlow, you are not a freak. Actually you're a Stark which means you are basically the coolest human ever." The previously angry man says in a joking tone. I shake my head in response until a hand lifts my chin upwards.

"Look at me." I lift my eyes slowly and am met with a smirking Bucky. "If you're a freak sweetheart than so am I." He states with confidence paired off with a wink. I'm not sure if I believe him yet but I smile softly anyway.

"Alright tin man, beat it. Go clean up your paper cuts, it's my turn to talk with the golden girl." Tony says from his place in the doorway. Bucky rolls his eyes, but carefully crawls off the bed. He tucks some hair behind me ear before smiling and heading off. As he walks past Tony the other scrunches up his nose and fake gags. "Take a shower while you're up there, you smell of death and desperation." Bucky rubs the bridge of his nose in response and mumbles something before leaving.

"Alright not so tiny tot, ready to have a sit down with your genius billionaire playboy father?" I look at the man confused for a moment before the rest of yesterday's events returns to me. Hugging Pepper and Tony; the family reunion. I smile and sarcastically pat the empty spot on the mattress. He rolls his eyes and hops up next to me.

"I hope you know I didn't mean to cause that...episode. It was a bit jarring walking in on the terminator sleeping in your lap." Ah, so that's what the weight on top of me was. I smile up at my dad before flicking his temple. "That's for waking me up." I flick his temple again "That's for being mean to Bucky." I then tilt up and kiss his cheek as a daughter would. "And that's for kind of apologizing for it."

My dad laughs and gently ruffles my hair. "Damm have I missed you kiddo." I go to make some snide comment before some unwanted thoughts swarm my brain. Are you even his daughter anymore? You're not the same girl he remembers. He deserves someone better than you. I stay silent as my brain holds me hostage in its berate of crippling thoughts. I nip at the flesh on the inside corner of my mouth and sigh as the raw scarred aches between my teeth. Suddenly a beeping noise that seemed to be increasing in intensity pulled me from the overflowing waters of my head.

"Hey, Harls, what's wrong kid?" My dad ask quickly while glancing over at the machine making all the noise. "Your heart rate just spiked all the sudden." He explains after noticing my worried confusion. I look over at the device and realize it's attached to me as well as a bag of fluids. I almost panicked before remembering Doctor Banners explanation on the liquids held inside the IV bag.

"Right, sorry. It's nothing so don't worry about it." I say trying to brush it off casually. Tony sighs in response to my less than helpful reply.

"Look, I know things are going to need an adjustment period. That includes you, the team, Pepper, and even me. We've missed a lot and I will never not blame myself for that, but no matter what happens or who you've become you are still my daughter. I will always love you." I wonder for a moment if he could read my mind, but then I realize it's much simpler than that. He's simply my dad and knows that's somethings wrong. He's always been smart like that if I recall correctly. I don't' respond to him right away, but I do hug him and burry my face into his shoulder.

"Way to make it sappy toaster oven." I say through sniffles. He only replies by patting my back and chuckling softly. We stay like this for a little while before I finally pull away.

"I think you've been cooped up in here long enough, don't you?" I smirk at his implication. "yes, I believe I have." I say, changing my tone to be a teasing high class sounding voice. He hops off the bed and takes all the wires and such out of me before helping me to my feet. "You'll have to come back and get a more invasive checkup with the Doc later, but until then let's go meet the team."

The trip through the tower to the main floor was...educational. Pepper; my mom, joined us about halfway through the re-tour. We had to stop three six times. Twice because I got a memory related headache triggered by the familiar surroundings, and the other four from me stumbling although I finally seemed to get my balance when we entered the main living floor.

If I remembered correctly, this room was just a giant living room with a kitchen. Stepping inside the area I was pleasantly surprised that my memory served me correct. However, it wasn't lonely and empty like in my mind. This room was full of laughter, warmth and people. Although I could only identify a handful of people inside the open space. This was limited to my parents obviously; Pepper and Tony; Uncle Rhodey, James Rhodes; and the family friend/body guard/chauffeur, Happy. Of course I don't remember all of them that well, but there's this sort of fuzzy feeling when I look at them, so I know they should be familiar. Then of course I remember Bucky who is standing quietly next to a tall strong looking blonde.

"Can I get every super soldier, mutant, scientific mistake, badass, person's attention!" My dad calls out rather boastfully next to me. I find myself trying not to laugh at his over the top personality. However, I don't get the chance to comment before every eye in the room turns to stare at me and my dad. I make eye contact with Bucky who gives me an amused expression.

"I would like to give you an official viewing of my greatest invention, my daughter!" He dramatically gestures towards me. I shake my head at him in disbelief before smirking as an idea pops into my head. I take a deep breath and float off the ground before taking a bow in the air. I was only like three inches off the floor so it wasn't that impressive but I still got oohs and awes anyway.

"You are literally so cool, I can not wait to test your powers later." My dad says next to me as I land back on the ground with a slight flustered blush from all the attention I just caused.

"Okay, get back to doing whatever it is you do when I'm not around, and we'll come around and make real introductions." Tony announces which results in everyone going back to their previous chatter. Tony walks off to go socialize individually so it ends up being Pepper that brings me around to see everyone.

The first group we stop in front of consist of people I already sort of kind of maybe know. Rhodey walks up to me and smiles happily. "You probably don't remember me, but it's nice to see you again kid. I'm-"

"Rhodey." I interject quickly. It makes me feel warm inside when his lights up rom my recognition. "And Happy." I say gesturing to the man standing next to him. "I'm sorry I don't remember you all that well, but I know we were close." I add because I didn't want to get their hopes up or anything.

"That's okay kid, we're just glad you're back and safe." Pepper gently hugs me from the side and soon Rhodey and Happy join in on the quick family related hug. We talk for a bit longer before my mom ushers me off to meet the next group of people.

"My names Wanda, it is nice to meet you." A redhead says excitedly before pulling me into a hug. I giggle at the girls enthusiasm when I realize she's about the same age I am. It must be hard being some of the only girls on the Avengers.

"Wanda dear, you might scare the poor girl. She has not been back for long." A more sophisticated intelligent voice. I slightly move Wanda's red hair to the side and peak over her shoulder to see a red skinned robot looking guy. In response I jump slightly and cling to Wanda. Her magic felt trustworthy enough so I just went with it.

"Vis, I think you're the one who's scaring her." She says with a light laugh before pulling away but keeping me near her side. I could already tell we were going to be great friends.

"Oh, my apologies Miss Stark. My name is Vision, I am a humanoid form of the AI system Jarvis, explained simply at least." I relax and extend my hand to shake his extended one.

"Nice to meet you Vision, and you too Wanda." I say smiling at the redhead. She nods in excitement before we head to yet another set of individuals.

This group consist of four different people. Another red head girl, a white brown haired male, a tall muscular chiseled blond, and a skinny lankier black haired man. The first to approach me was the brunette. He seems friendly and extends his hand towards me. "Hey, I'm Clint it's nice to meet you."

"You too." I say gently while shaking his hand. The next approach is the godlike blonde. Except instead of shaking my hand he takes it and kisses the back. "Greetings lady Harlow, I am Thor, the god of thunder." My eyes widen in shock and my mouth hangs open.

"He's joking, right?!" I ask Clint with a bewildered expression locked on my face.

"I'm afraid he's being serious. I'm Natasha the other female on the team." After shaking away my original surprise I turn and greet Nat with a smile. "Are all the Avenger girls redheads or is that just coincidence. Cause if I'm dyeing my hair I need to know." I tease making both Natasha and Pepper giggle next to me.

The last to approach me was the black haired man. His greeting was similar to Thor's just with less over dramatic flare. "Loki, a pleasure I'm sure." His manner was more sly in comparison to the others so far. Something about him seemed inherently untrustworthy. 

"Right, you too." I say hesitantly while trying to keep the suspicion out of my voice. I spend a few minutes chatting with Nat and Clint before Wanda comes back over and insist on bringing me to see everyone else. I allow myself to get dragged over to another group while giggling. 

The next set included an Tony, an overexcited looking teenager, and the kind doctor. "Heya doc, long time no see." I say with joking sarcasm as Banner pats my shoulder. "I'll see you down at the lab later, yes? We need to run some test." I nod my head in confirmation before Bruce sets off to speak with socialize with others. 

"Is this her Mr. Stark?" The young teen ask quickly while glancing over at me. I send my dad a "what did you tell him" look in which I get a smirk in reply. "Yep, this is the one and only Harlow Stark. Harls this is Peter Parker the youngest member of our little team." Tony explains, before I can even give a response Peter jumps forward and starts shaking my hand. "It is so nice meeting you!" I almost jump back in shock, but end up giggling at the kids enthusiasm. 

"You too Peter, we'll see each other again soon I hope, but I believe their are still a few more people to see." I say as Wanda tugs playfully at my sleeve. I swat at her hand but laugh as she eventually drags me towards the last set of people. 

On the edge of the room where majority of the furniture was located sat Bucky, the blonde I spotted him with earlier, and a darker skinned man with a an unforgettable smile. I was glad to see Bucky again and quickly went to his side. He's sitting in a small love seat sofa and pats the empty space next to him. I accept and sit beside him as the other start introducing themselves. 

"Steve Rogers, aka-" 

"Captain America." I say cutting him off. My expression stayed cold for a minute until I felt Bucky grab my hand and draw small circles on the back. I snap out of it and look at the captain apologetically. 

"I'm so sorry. Hydra might of mentioned you and as you can imagine they didn't have anything productive to say." I explain before reaching out and shaking his hand. "I'm Harlow it's nice to meet you." Steve chuckles lightly and shakes my hand. "No worries, you're already doing better than Buck over here did. As long as you don't throw me into a wall you'll be making a better first impression." I laugh in response and send Bucky a cheeky smile before sticking my tongue out at him which just makes him smile at me. 

"Oh and this is Sam." Steve says finally gesturing to the other man on the couches. 

"Well hello there Harlow. I knew the serum made these two men unfairly stunning, but you are a different piece of art entirely." I start giggling, not because of his greeting but because Bucky wraps his arms protectively around my waist. 

"Congratulations Sam, you've officially both given the most original introduction of the day and managed to frustrate magnet arm. I have a feeling we'll get along swimmingly." I tease in response making everyone but Bucky laugh. Turning to see his pitiful pouty face I ruffle his hair and rest my head onto his shoulder. 

The social gathering goes on for several hours but I stopped being able to actually socialize after about two hours. It was getting to the point that the only response I could give was head nods and noises. I had gotten up and socialized amongst everyone a few times, but I always ended up coming back and sitting with Bucky where I am now. 

With my head resting on the soldiers arm I look up at him and I can see his expression soften at the absolute drained look I wore. Sure it was only like 9:00 PM but talking this much was absolutely exhausting. "You were an assassin, sneak me out of here." I plea before burying my face back into his bicep. A chuckle escapes his lips before he nods. "Come on Doll." He stands up and waits for me, but I don't stand. Instead I look up at him with a lazy smile and hold my arms out. 

"Seriously?" He ask while looking down at me. I simply nod and give a puppy dog look before he sighs. Next thing I know I'm being swept up into his arms and carried back to the elevator. I let my eyes droop as I snuggle closer into the warmth of his body. Although eventually I realize I have no clue where we're going. As far as I'm aware I don't have a room yet. Not one set up. 

"Hey Bucky Boo, where we going Soldier?" I question in a teasing tone while looking up at him. 

"Well I suppose that's up to you. There's an extra bedroom on me and Steve's floor and ther-" 

"Your room." I blurt out quickly before I can really stop myself. He looks down at me with those ocean blue eyes and quirks his eyebrow upwards. "Sorry, what?" 

"I...well I was just...I was thinking because of last night and the nightmares that maybe I could..." I trail off in my sentence out of nerves. Bucky doesn't answer, but next thing I know we're walking into a bedroom. He sets me down on a bed and smirks at me. 

"Of course you can stay in here." I smile when I realize he'd brought me too his room. I then realize that I'm still wearing the same clothes I've been wearing for the past two days and I probably don't smell all that great. I quickly jump off the bed and spot the bathroom door. 

"Can I use your shower, and borrow some clothes?! Cool, thanks!" I shout, not letting him answer before rushing towards the bathroom. I never get a response, but the sound of his laughter tells me that it's probably okay. I shower pretty quickly and step out happy to find that Bucky had in fact given me clothes to wear. They were obviously clothes he'd stolen from Wanda for me to wear, but I didn't mind. 

After brushing through my hair I walk back into the room and look up to see Bucky staring at me. I blush as his eyes trail over my body before snapping back to my face. "Like what you see soldier?" I ask before walking over to the bed and crawling in beside him. 

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't." Buck says before pulling me protectively against his chest and playing with strands of my hair. I decide that nothing else needs to be said and let myself doze off with a warm feeling of comfort in my stomach.


End file.
